Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sanchez, spoke about the controversy over comments made by Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, regarding her meeting with President Gustavo Petro two weeks ago in Bogota.
Sanchez said that in that meeting “there were inaccurate interpretations,” referring to Noem’s statement in which she claimed that Petro spoke favorably about Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan criminal group involved in controlling cocaine routes in Colombia.
Sanchez clarifies controversial statements by Kristi Noem on Gustavo Petro and the Tren de Aragua
Since the visit of the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to Bogota on March 27, controversy has continued over a statement made by Kristi Noem following her meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, which he later disputed.
The U.S. official claimed that the Colombian president spoke favorably about the Tren de Aragua and criticized the Trump administration, prompting a swift rebuttal from Petro himself.
Today, Colombia’s Defense Minister, who participated in the meeting between Noem and Petro, shared his perspective on the dispute. Addressing the controversy, Pedro Sanchez posted on his X account that “there were inaccurate interpretations” of the meeting.
“I had the honor of participating in the meeting between President Gustavo Petro and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. It was a cordial encounter with significant alignment on key issues for Colombia and the United States. However, there appear to have been inaccurate interpretations of the president’s remarks,” the Colombian minister stated.
In his message, Colombia’s top defense official clarified that President Gustavo Petro did not intend to criticize the U.S. government.
He emphasized that “President Gustavo Petro never spoke against the U.S. government” and noted that both Petro and Noem discussed counter-narcotics efforts, focusing on a broader analysis that acknowledged the complexity of the issue.
“[Petro] presented an analysis of the causes behind the global failure in the war on drugs, pointing out that it is a structural challenge requiring international cooperation and profound solutions, even controversial ones like the legalization of cocaine, similar to what was done with alcohol. The president stated that such a proposal depends on multilateral decisions, not unilateral ones,” Sanchez wrote in his X post.
No Links Between Colombia and the Tren de Aragua
Minister Sanchez also sought to clarify that “President [Petro] did not claim to have ties with the Tren de Aragua. He reflected on its origins and the expansion of this criminal organization across different regional contexts.”
Additionally, Sanchez addressed the differing classifications of the criminal group between the U.S. and Colombia. “As Defense Minister, I clarified during the meeting that while the U.S. has designated the Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization, Colombia classifies it as an Organized Common Crime Group (GDCO), based on its criminal capacity rather than its methods,” he explained.
The minister reiterated Colombia’s commitment to combating transnational organized crime. “As Defense Minister, I reaffirm Colombia’s steadfast commitment to fighting transnational organized crime,” Sanchez concluded, stressing that “combating transnational crime requires cohesion and cooperation. Any division creates an opportunity for criminal networks to strengthen, as crime knows no borders.”
I had the honor of participating in the meeting between the President of Colombia @petrogustavo and the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. It was a cordial meeting, with important points of convergence on key issues for Colombia and the United States.
However,…
— Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez S. Orgullosamente Colombiano (@PedroSanchezCol) April 7, 2025
President Petro’s rejection of Kristi Noem’s remarks
The Colombian president had already addressed, over the past weekend, the controversial statements made by Kristi Noem in her televised interview. Petro asserted that the remarks by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security lack credibility and suggested they might be linked to a deal the Colombian government is negotiating with the Swedish government to acquire aircraft to replace the Kfir fleet.
“I don’t know if my decision to purchase fighter jets from Sweden has anything to do with these recent false statements by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (…). This isn’t just anyone—she is the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and whispers in Trump’s ear,” stated the Colombian president.
Additionally, Gustavo Petro claimed that Noem “did not fully grasp” what he was saying and attributed the alleged misinterpretation of facts to bad translation.
He also mentioned that he ordered the release of the recording from his meeting with the secretary, but “no one recorded it,” leaving no verifiable record of what was exactly discussed between Petro and Noem during their encounter two weeks ago.
Related: Venezuela Disputes Stance of Colombia’s Petro on Tren de Aragua.